Lifeboat



R. D. MAYO Nov. 18, 1947.

LIFEBOAT Filed NOV. 13, 1944 5 sheets-sheet 1 Knuemor R oberf DMou g Nov. 18, 1947. R. p. MAYO 2,431,051

' LIFEBOAT Filed Nov. '15, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 mil-i: Roberf D. Magi) R. D. MAYO LIFEBOAT Nov. 18; 1947.

Patented Nov. 18, 1947 UNITED STAT ES PATENT OF F ICE- LIFEBOAT Robert D. Mayo, 'Flint, 1Mich.

Application November 13, 1944;" 'Serial Nos563180 6 Claims. I

This invention is directed to life-boats, and is primarily concerned with a life-boat which is easily manageable, in which the passengers are protected from exposure and have free circulation of air within the boat and, very important, which eliminates dangers of arising from capsizinguor swamping, together with a large carrying capacity.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a novel constructionat the stern both for entrance into and exit from the interior of the boat and for providing a cockpit where lines running to a sea anchor may be controlled and manipulated with structure for the passage of said lines to said cockpit at the stern for ready:

operation by an occupant of the cockpit. Further at the bow of the lifeboat, ready and easy means are provided for the attachment of a tow line for towing the .boat and; at both bulk heads, means for accomplishing a circulation of air.- through the interior of the boat with an insurance against the entrance of water.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide a novel means for insuring that the hatches at the upper side of the body of the. boat may be released from any freezing fast which is very liable to occur during the winter months of the year.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. .1 is an elevation of a life-boat made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical longitudinal section taken at the'front end or bow of the boat substantially on the line 2--2 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective illustrating a novel construction utilized in handling and securing a tow line.

Fig.4 is a very similar view to Fig. 2 at the rear-end or stern of the boat, substantially on the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section substantially on the plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a similar vertical section substantially; on the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the bow of the boat.

Like'reference figures refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The body or hull of the boat between the bulkheads has a bottom with side sections I (see Figs. 5 and 6) which extends outward and slightly upward away from each other from a longitudinal middle line'indicated at Z. Said bottom sec-i 2 I .tionszd at 13116113011178!" edges; are curved upwardly in thearc of a circle .as at 3 and-thenceextended in arnearly verticalrdirectionfor a short distance at 4 and thereafter the body of the boat is comipleted-'-by an. upper nearly semi-circular section 5, the.zarc;.of which approximates In Fig. 1 the: vertical :lines .of the :bulkeheads are indicated in dotted lines. at 26, and. it is between such bulk+heads that the body or hull is of such form,

. being slightly elevated at the central: portion and departing but slightly froma horizontalplaneat itsi'under sides. The stem 1 and the how 8 on themnntrary .zarecircular. in .cross section, :the change: :in 'shapesoccurring' .quite rapidlyat the general location :of the bulkheads the .radiiof the 'crosgsections .:progressively decreasing routwardly fromsaidbulk-heads so thata longitudinal section through either; the bow- .or stern approximates 'a parabolic curve as indicated .at .9,

except at the extreme A ends of the boat where openings'for' the passage of a tow line .or .sea anchor lines are madeas hereinafter. described.

Within the hollow hull of the form thus described; and long-itudinallyat each side thereof approximately at the curved sections at 3, seats Ill forthe passengersareprovided between which is a-horizontalfloor- II as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Said seats and floor extendthe full length between the transverse bulk-heads with which the boat'is interiorly' providedpone a distance in from either end'of the "boat. At the stern "as shown in 'Fig." 4 the bulkhead I2 is a vertical plate which at its edges will be connected with thehull' in any suitable manner as for example, with steel materials, by welding or an equivalent. Centrally of the'bulk-head 1'2 a vertical opening of a desired width is cut from the upper edgesv of said bulk-head plate l2 toward but short of its lower edges. Atsaid opening-a cockpit. is provided havinga-bottom l3 and. an inner vertical end 13a with spaced vertical sides (not numbered) .which extend to the upper side of theboat hull and are. suitably welded or other- 45 wise seouredinto. place. In the inner vertical endl3aa door 14 is hinged'at its lower' edge and whiohwhen'in vertical position as in Fig. 4 has steps A5 at its outer side; .Such-steps when thezdoor is turned-inwardly as shownin dash lines in Fig. 4 provide means for passengers getting into the boat from the cockpit or for their exit.

In the vertical position the doorell is releasably held-.by a manually-operable latch shown at lfipandaatithe outer sideof the ends-i3a a seas.

' through the scuppers shown at 38 (Fig. 2).

frame I! surrounds the door opening and carries a continuous gasket l8 of rubber or other suitable material making a water tight construction when the door is closed.

At the upper end of the cockpit a hatch I9 is hingedly mounted and may be held in close position by a latch 20 which is manually operated to release it or to close it in tight engagement with the gaskets at 2| retained in a suitable frame 22 therefor around the hatch openmg.

The outer end of the cockpit is provided with a vertical end 23 at the lower portion of which a substantially frustroconical sleeve 24 extends having an open outer end with a metallic ring 24a used to secure the end portions of the hull and sleeve together. It is through such sleeve 24 that lines may be passed to a sea anchor a distance back of the boat which anchor is used for controlling the boat particularly in heavy The cockpit in such case is occupied by one of the sailors who manages the anchor by use of lines leading therefrom into the cockpit.

In winter months it is very usual for water dashed over to the outer sides of a life-boat of this character to be frozen as ice with the danger that the hatch I9 cannot be opened. With my invention an opening is made at the lower part of the bulk-head which is closed by a door 25. When the door is moved to an open position a receptacle or container 26 for fuel to be burned may be passed from the passenger compartment of the boat to the space at the other side of the bulk-head. The high temperature gase from burning fuel are collected in a funnel 2'! in the lower end of vertically extending pipes 28, which may be of the shape shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and are carried to a pipe frame 29 located around the opening for the hatch I9, with an outlet at 30 for the combustion products which .give up a portion of their heat while'passing through the frame 29 and melt the ice at the hatch edges so as to free it. Also at one vertical side of the cockpit an opening is made connected with which is a vertical pipe 3|, its lower end I having connection with the passenger compartmerit.

inafter described, that at the opposite end or bow of the boat a similar air passage construction is provided.

The bulk-head 33 a short distance rearwardly I of the bow of the boat or substantially at the location indicated at the forward dotted line 6 in Fig. 1, at its central portion and from its upper edge downwardly for a distance is provided with a vertical slot 35 which extends to the front end of the bow between vertical plates 36 spaced from each other, and which are joined at their lower edges by welding or otherwise permanently to a conical sleeve 31 having its larger diameter at its inner end where it is connected to the bulk-head, and with a ring 37a at its outer end for the same purpose as ring 24a previously described. The sleeve 31 and ring 31o are slotted in line with the slot 35. Water is drained from the inner end portion of said sleeve at it lower side, to which it will naturally flow by gravity,

A cleat 39 secured near the inner end of the sleeve 7 31 is utilized for the securing of one end of a i tow line 40 which passes outwardly through ring 37a to any suitable tow.

Below the slot 34 an opening which may be circular in form is made on the bulk-head 33 substantially axially with the central axis of the sleeve 3? with a circular closure 4! hingedly mounted to close said opening and a latch to hold it closed (Fig. 6). A vertical air pipe 42 with a hinged cover 43 at its upper end is secured to the closure M, said air pipe 42 and the pipe 3| providing for air circulation.

The bulk-head 33 at its inner side and at its upper edges is provided with frame members 44 Z-shaped in cross section for retaining gaskets d5 of rubber or other similar material extending to each side of the slot 34 previously described. A narrow door E6 is hingedly mounted at one side to be turned about a vertical axis to open or close such slot. At its upper end it is offset as indicated at 47 (Fig. 3) and a section 48 of the rubber or other material used mounted therein 50 that when the door is closed the gasket is completed across the upper ends of the slots 34-35.

A hatch opening is made in the upper side of the hull immediately back of the front bulk-head 33 and the frame 44 continued around said hatch opening and the gasket 45 likewise continued as at 45a in Fig. 2. A hinged hatch 49 is provided for the opening and releasably held in closed position by latch 50 (Fig. 2) engaging with the gasket 45a when in closed position for water tightness. Such construction including the slots 34 and 35, the door 46 and the hatch at 49 is provided so that when the tow line 48 is cast to the life-boat it may be caught by one standing in the boat and partly through the hatch opening and the line easily carried through the slots 34 and 35 and to the cleat 39.

The forward hatch 49 is likewise in danger of being frozen in closed position and a similar means for releasing it is provided. The bulkhead 33 has openings in its normal position closed by hinged doors 5! for the passage through the openings of fuel containers 52, the high temperature gases from the burning fuel being collected by the inverted funnels 53, and carried upwardly through pipes 54 to and through a pipe frame 55 located against the inner side of the upper wall of the boat hull around the hatch opening with an outlet at 5B for the gases, to thereby warm the hull around said hatch opening and free ice frozen thereto.

With this construction of the hull a broad and an approximately flat bottom for the hull is provided for the major portion of the length of the hull between the bow and stern bulk-heads and creased and automatic self-righting is estabinsurance of release of the hatches is attained useful. The propulsion of the life-boat may be by any suitable conventional means.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a life-boat, an enclosing hull having a substantially flat bottom, generally vertical sides spaced from each other extending therefrom for a distance and a top in the arc of a circle en'- closing the intermediate portion of the hull, vertical bulk-heads transversely of the hull one at each end of said intermediate portion, and bew and stern portions extending in front of and to the rear of said intermediate portion of the hull, said how and stern portions having circular transverse cross sections, the diameters of which progressively decrease away from said bulkheads, hingedly mounted hatches adjacent each bulk-head in the upper side of the hull, said hull having openings at its upper side adapted to be closed by said hatches, pipe frame located within the hull around said hatch openings, conduits extending from one side of each frame downwardly in the hull at the outer sides of the bulk-heads and terminating at their lower ends a distance above the bottom of the hull, said pipe frames at their opposite sides having outlet extending through the top of the hull for the circulation of heated gases through said pipe frames around said hatch openings.

2. A life-boat having an elongated enclosed hull, a transverse bulk-head separating the compartment from one end of said hull, a hatch in the upper side of the hull adjacent the bulkhead at the compartment side, a sleeve extending from the end of the hull to said bulk-head and opening through the end of the hull, the upper part of the hull structure being provided with a vertical slot communicating with the outside of the hull, said sleeve and said bulk-head and a door in said bulk-head communicating with said slot and sleeve.

3. A life-boat having a hull with bow and stern, bulk-heads transversely of the hull, one a distance inwardly from each end thereof, said hull between said bulk-heads having a generally flat bottom, sides extending upwardly from said bottom for a distance, the hull being completed and enclosed at its upper side by an are shaped section, the are of which approximates one-half of a circle, and a cockpit at the stern of the hull extending partly through the stern bulk-head having a bottom and Vertical sides and open at its upper end, a hatch for closing the upper end of said cockpit, and a door hingedly mounted at its lower edge to the inner side of said cockpit, said inner side having an opening adapted to be closed by said door, and said door being turnable downwardly into the interior space in the hull between said bulk-heads.

4. A life-boat having a hull with bow and stern, bulk-heads transversely of the hull, one a distance inwardly from each end thereof, said hull between said bulk-heads having a generally flat bottom, sides extending upwardly from said bottom for a distance, the hull being completed and enclosed at its upper side by an are shaped section, the are of which approximates one-half of a circle, and a cockpit at the stem end of the hull located therewithin having a bottom which extends partly into the interior space of the hull in front of the stern bulk-head, and vertical sides, said cockpit being opened at its upper end, a hatch for closing and sealing said open upper end of the cockpit, a door hingedly mounted at its lower edge at the inner side of the cockpit, said inner side of the cockpit having an opening closed by said door when in vertical position, and said door being turnable to extend downwardly and inwardly into the hull of the lifeboat, said cockpit at its rear side having a hollow horizontal extension reaching to the stern end of the boat, as specified.

5. A life-boat having a hull with bow and stem, I

bulk-heads transversely of the hull, one a distance inwardly from each end thereof, said hull between said bulk-heads having a generally flat bottom, sides extending upwardly from said bottom for a distance, the hull being completed and enclosed at its upper side by an are shaped section, the arc of which approximates one-half of a circle, said bulk-head at the bow end of the boat having a vertical slot therein from its upper edge downwardly for part of the height of the bulk-head, a vertical door for closing said slot hingedly mounted to turn about a vertical axis on said bulk-head, said bow portion of the boat ahead of said bulk-head having a horizontal conical sleeve extending from the front and rearwardly to the bulk-head and progressively increasing in size in a rearward direction, said sleeve at its upper side being longitudinally slotted, and vertical plates extending upwardly from the edges of said slot to the exterior of the hull providing a longitudinal vertical slot in the upper bow portion of the boat reaching from the outer end of said bow portion to the slot in the front bulkhead.

6. In a life-boat, a hull having an intermediate, relatively long, generally fiat bottomed section with sides at its outer edges extending in a generally Vertical direction for a distance, said hull section being completed between said sides by an upper enclosure shaped in the arc of approximately a semi-circle, and bow and stern extensions to said intermediate section of the hull, said hull at its upper side, substantially at the juncture of said intermediate section and the stern extension having a hatch opening therein, a hatch door for closing said opening, means for sealing the door in closed position, a cockpit having an opening at its inner side disposed below said door for the entrance and exit of passengers and .a vertical door at the inner side of the cockpit adapted to be turned downwardly into the intermediate section of the hull or to be turned upwardly to close said opening in the cockpit at its inner side.

ROBERT D. MAYO.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 348,424 Shears Aug. 31, 1886 603,532 Mitchell May 3, 1898 663,172 Hoy Dec. 2, 1900 1,249,645 Lundin Dec. 11, 1917 

